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It's Only a Paper Moon (episode)
For the song for which the episode was named, see It's Only a Paper Moon (song). After losing a leg on AR-558, Nog returns to Deep Space Nine, but finds he cannot go on living his uncertain life and seeks shelter within the fictional world of Vic Fontaine and Las Vegas, 1962. Summary After losing his leg on AR-558, Nog returns to Deep Space 9. He has undergone extensive counseling at Starbase 235. He is relieved of duty until further notice by Captain Sisko, a hero. However, Nog finds the counseling pointless. He uses a cane, and complains of pain, even though a tricorder scan does not show any nerves firing, leading doctors to conclude it's psychological. Nog, in his state, finds this ridiculous; the pain is real, he's not making it up. The only solace for Nog is in the Vic Fontaine recording that Doctor Bashir played during his time in triage on AR-558, I'll Be Seeing You. He now plays it constantly, enough to drive Jake Sisko crazy. This is when he goes into one of Quark's holosuites having Vic sing every version he knows of I'll Be Seeing You. In fact, he feels safe enough that, he talks Vic into letting Nog live with him. Ezri, concerned about Nog's condition, talks to Vic about Nog, but concludes this may be a good sign, since his counseling was going nowhere. Vic explains he has a trick or two up his sleeve to let him heal, so persuades Ezri to let Nog stay here. Unfortunately, trouble occurs when Jake takes a date into the holosuite for one of Vic's performances. When the subject of Nog's heroism comes up, Nog becomes angry and starts a fight. Vic has to kick Nog back to their room. To give him something to do, Vic complains about his inability to do his accounting, and how his books are a mess. Nog helps him out, and concludes there is enough money in Vic's bank account he could expand the place. Nog soon finds solace in using his Ferengi business instincts to help make Vic's bar a success. He also soon gets his confidence back as he charms the holographic guests, especially lighting cigarettes for the ladies with a lion's head cane Vic gave him. Before long, he doesn't need it at all. After a while, Ezri comes up to see how Nog is doing. Pleased at the progress report, she thinks Nog should return to the real world, and convinces Vic the same thing by tricking him into realizing he is just using Nog if he lets Nog stay. Vic tries to try and talk Nog out, but when he won't go Vic shuts down his program to force Nog to face the real world again. Nog tries to force the computer to run the program, but to no avail. Even Chief O'Brien tells him that if Vic doesn't want to appear, he won't. Soon after, Vic causes himself to reappear, and Nog released what he was probably holding back from all the counseling sessions. He complains to Vic of an overwhelming fear of his mortality caused by losing his leg. It was this, apparently, that he couldn't tell the counselors. Vic talks him out of it gingerly with a long speech, and Nog slowly but surely returns to reality. Memorable Quotes "At first, it struck me as a little...peculiar. But after I thought it over, I began to think that maybe this is a good sign after all." "How can hiding in one of Julian's adolescent programs be a good sign?" "Hey..." "It could be worse. He could be hiding in the Alamo program." "Or that ridiculous secret agent program." (quiet) "Hey..." "Or that stupid Viking program." "Hey!" : - Ezri, Quark, Jake, Leeta, and Rom teasing Bashir "He's a one legged crazy man!" : - Rom, on the new Nog. "(About 'Shane' movie) I like 'The Searchers' better!" "Yeah, who doesn't?" : - Nog and Vic "I'm an engineer, not a philosopher" : - O'Brian "Look kid, I don't know what's going to happen to you out there. All I can tell you is that you've got to play the cards life deals you. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but at least you're in the game." : - Vic Fontaine "Are you okay? "No, but I will be." : - Leeta and Nog Background Information * Although speculative, the events of Star Trek: Insurrection are believed to have occurred during this episode. This is due to the fact that Worf is only in the opening scenes of this episode, which spans over a fair period of time, and does not appear at all in either of the next two episodes, "Prodigal Daughter" and "The Emperor's New Cloak" (only the mirror Worf appears in the latter episode). The apparently large period of absence in his appearances would allow him enough time to assist in the security upgrade of the Manzar colony and join the ''Enterprise''-E crew during its mission to the Briar Patch before returning to the station. *The movie The Searchers is cited as a very good movie in this episode, against Shane: along with John Wayne, the protagonist was played by Jeffrey Hunter, who played Cpt. Christopher Pike in the very first episode of Star Trek, The Cage. Links and References Guest Stars * Aron Eisenberg as Nog * Max Grodénchik as Rom * Chase Masterson as Leeta Special Guest Star * James Darren as Vic Fontaine Co-Stars * Tami-Adrian George as Kesha * Annette Helde as Nadia Larkin (archive footage, uncredited) * Brandon De Wilde as Joey Starrett (archive footage, uncredited) * Alan Ladd as Shane (archive footage, uncredited) * Jack Palance as Jack Wilson (archive footage, uncredited) References Alamo; AR-558; Bashir 62; Battle of Clontarf; Benbasset; biosynthetic limb; Cal-Neva Lodge; cane; Charley; cigarette; coonskin cap; counselor; craps; Crockett, Davy; Davis, Sammy, Jr.; De Wilde, Brandon; Ferengi; Flynn, Errol; Grand Nagus' staff; holosuite; "I'll Be Seeing You"; "I've Got the World on a String"; isolinear rod; Julian Bashir, Secret Agent; "Just in Time"; Ladd, Alan; Lake Tahoe; Las Vegas; latinum; magnetic flux; Makara fizz; Martin, Dean; martini; medical leave; "Moon River"; movie; "Noggles"; olive; Palance, Jack; "Paper Moon"; plasma conduit; popcorn; Presley, Elvis; raccoon; replicator; Rockefeller family; Searchers, The; Shane; Shane; Sinatra, Frank; slot machines; Starbase 235; television; transilluminator circuit; tricorder; Uncle Sam; "Untouchables, The"; Vikings; Yankee. |next= }} Category:DS9 episodes de:Leben in der Holosuite es:It's Only a Paper Moon nl:It's Only a Paper Moon